Mail-crane.



E. G. LIVESAY.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, I915.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET llmu.

I Attorneys- Witnesses E. G. LIVESAY.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I. 1915.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Inventor,

Witnesses Attorneys DHWASHINGTOJ D c To all'wb'om it mayconccr'n EVERETTG. LIVES'AKOF PRINCETON, WEST VIRGINIA.

MAIL-CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 1, 1915. 7 Serial No. 25,264.

Be it known that I, EVERETT a citizen of the United States, residing atrinceton, in the county of Mercer and State of est Virginia, haveinvented a new and useful Mail-Crane, of which the following is aspecification. I

The present invention appe'rtains to'mail cranes, and aims to provide anovel and improved appliance of that character.

It? is the object of the invention to pro vide means for mounting thecrane, whereby the arms or jibs of the crane may normally stand parallelwith the track, so as not to interfere with passing trains, and meansbeing provided whereby the engineer or other person upon the mail traincan operate the crane mechanism so that the crane arms or jibs willswing toward the trackbefore the mail car reaches the crane, in orderthat the mail collector may properly catch the mail bag supported by thecrane. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of a crane structureembodying unique means for mountingor supporting the crane properly,whereby the crane is normally held in inoperative position, means beingprovided wherebv released by a device carried by the train,

and means then coming into play for swinging the crane to operativeposition with respect to the train.

It is also within the scope of the invention to provide a device of thecharacter indicated, which is improved generally in its construction anddetails, to enhance the utility thereof, the device being readilyinstalled upon the road bed in connection with ordinary or specialtrains, and being comparatively simple, non-encumbering and inexpensivein construction, as well as being thoroughly practical and efiicient inuse.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will proceeds, theinvention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in thedetails of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it beingunderstood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed withoutFigure 1 is an elevation-of the structure (in Livn'sAY,

the crane may be appear as the description with the crane in operativeposition. Fig. 2 1S another elevation taken at right angles to the lineof View in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. '1- Fig.4: is in enlarged sectional detail of the stand which receives andsupports the mast of the crane. F ig.,5 is a sectional detail taken onthe line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a frag'mental View illustrating amodified form. Fig. 7 is the modification. Fig. tail on the line 8-8 ofdiagrammatic view modification.

In carrying out. the invention, there is provided a suitable baseadapted to be bolted or otherwise fastened upon the ties or otherfoundation, and. including an upstanding tubular stand 1 receiving thelower end portion 2 of the mast 3 of the crane, whereby the mast isjournaled for rotation within the stand 1. The mast 3 carries the usualcrane arms ,or jibs 4 which are provided at their free ends with fingers5 for receiving the mail bag, and it is preferableto provide Fig. 6.Fig. 9 is a illustrating a. further or ]lbS 4 for normally holding themailbag upon the fingers 5, but to allow the mail bag to be readilydrawn off of the said fingers. The mast 3 also preferably carries asuitable counter weight 7 at that side opposite't'he arms 4, wherebytate easily. A mast 3 above swinging the crane when desired, the handle8 normally swinging downwardly adjacent the stand, and being readilyswung upwardly when the mast 3 is to be rotated,

The mast 3 has a head or enlargement-9 at its lower end which is roundedto seat on a plug 10 threaded or otherwise engaged in the lower end ofthe tubular stand 1, whereby the mast 3 will rotate freelywithin thestand, and with little friction. The mast 3 is provided with a drum orreel 11 adjacent yet spaced slightly above perend of the stand 1,and'the drum ll has an outstanding lug 11 strike a stop 11 carried bythe upper end of the stand 1, when the sameis swung to operativeposition. A cord or flexible element 12 is wound or passed aroundthedrum 11 and has one end attached to the lug 11 andthe cord 12 is passedover a pulley'or of the stand 1.

Patented Nov. 9, 19-15. V

the same is balanced to rohandle 8 is pivoted to the the stand 1 formanuallywhich is arranged to.

a fragmental elevation of 8 is a sectional de-- the up-.

tached to the free end of the cord 12, and has a tendency to unwind thecord 12 from the drum 11, and to thus swing the crane to operativeposition.

A latch 15 is slidable through the lower end portion of the stand 1 anda suitable bearing 16 is carried by the base, and a coiled wireexpansion spring 17 is disposed upon the latch or latch bolt 15 betweenthe bearing 16 and a collar 18 secured upon the latch, whereby thespring 17 tends to project the latch inwardly or into engagementwith'the head 9 of the mast. The head 9 is provided with a notch 19 atone side into which the latch 15 is projected when the crane is swung toan inoperative position with the arms or jibs 1 parallel with the track.In this manner, the latch 15 holds the crane in inoperative or normalposition against the influence of the weight 1a.

In order that the latch 15 can be released by the train man, the freeend of the latch 15 is connected by a rod or link 20 with one arm of abell crank lever 21 fulcrumed adjacent the track, and the other arm ofthe lever 21 is connected by a rod or link 22 with a bell crank lever 23:Eulcrumed adjacent one rail of the track. This lever 23 is providedwith a cam 24': and is adapted to be engaged by a tappet 25 carried bythe locomotive of the train, although the tappet 25 may be carried byany car. The tappet 25 is preferably so carried by the train that it maybe raised or retracted ordinarily, and so that it may be lowered toengage the cam 24 when the crane is to be released.

In operation, when the mailbag is applied to the crane, the crane isswung by means of the handle 8 to inoperative position, in which eventthe latch 15 will spring into engagement with the-head 9 of the mast tohold the arms or jibs 4 parallel with the track. This will prevent thecrane projecting toward the track and will also prevent the crane frominterfering with trathc. WVhen the mail train approaches the crane,

the mail clerk or trainman depresses or lowers the tappet 25 so that itwill engage the cam 2 1-, and the cam 24: is therefore depressed.Through the medium of the connection between the lever 23 and latch 15,the depression of the cam 24 will retract the latch 15 and thus releasethe crane. As a result, the weight 1% will swing the crane t0 operativeposition, and the lug 11 in striking the stop 11- will properly limitthe movement of the crane when it reaches op erative position. The cranearms or jibs 4: thus pro ect toward the track, in order that the mailbag may be readily removed. The

crane may then be swung out of the wayby the attendant, for a newoperation.

The present crane structure is desirable in that it enables the crane tobe normally swung out of the way so as not to interfere with passingtrains, although the crane may be readily brought into operativeposition when the mail train passes. The present device also embodiesadvantageous ieatures of construction and operation which are desirableand effective for the intended. purposes.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the mast 3 of thecrane has its lower end portion 2 journaled within the tubular stand 1,and is adapted to swing in either direction from operative toinoperative position, which is desirable when trains traveling inopposite directions are to receive mail from the same crane. In thisform, the mast 3 is provided with an angularly extending arm 12immediately above the stand 1, and a cord or flexible element 12 isattached to the free end of the arm 12. The cord 12 passes between apairvof pulleys 13 carried by a bracket 13 attached to the stand 1, anda weight 14: is attachedv the other of a pair of...

one notch 19 and when the mast is swung to the opposite position, thelatch bolt en gages the other notch, for holding the crane ininoperative position. The latch bolt 15 may be released by the mechanismabove described, when the mail train approaches the crane, for releasingthe mast 3 so that the weight 14 comes into play for swinging the mastto operative position.

In Fig. 9 an electrical means is illustrated for releasing the latchbolt 15, said means embodying an electrical circuit 22 including asuitable source of electrical energy and a solenoid 20. A cam 24 isconnected to one end of the circuit 22 and a contact 23 cotiperable withthe cam 24: is connected to the other end of the circuit, whereby thecam or switch member 2 1 being normally raised will open the circuit.The latch bolt 15- is in the form of a core for the solenoid 20, wherebywhen the cam or switch member 24 is depressed by the mail train toengage the contact 23, the electrical circuit will be closed, and thesolenoid 20 being energized will draw the core or latch bolt 15thereinto for moving it out of engagement from the crane.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: M

In a device of the character described, a tubular stand, a crane masthaving its lower end portion journaled within said stand, a latch devicecarried by said stand and en- V 9 of two inoperative positions, meansfor reto said flexible element for turning the mast leasing said latchdevice, the said mast havto operative position when the said latch deingan angularly extending arm immediately Vice is released.

above said stand, a flexible element attached In testimony that I claimthe foregoing to said arm, a pair of pulleys carried by the as my own, Ihave hereto aflixed my signa- 15 stand and arranged atathe upper endthereof, ture.

the flexible element being passed between said pulleys and being adaptedto pass over I EVERETT G. LIVESAY.

gageable with said mast to hold it in either either one of them and aweight attached 10 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. G.

